I have just read in the WSJ and Barron’s that a majority of active bond funds are outperforming passive index funds. I do not understand. I thought that ,thanks to HumbleDollar,that a vast majority of active funds do not beat the indexes, for reasons we are all aware of.
Please, is this an apples to apples comparison? If it isn’ t, would it be that a respected paper is omitting crucial information? Jonathon told me a few weeks ago that itis probably because of lower credit quality,etc.,

Five months ago, I was loath to take any sort of medication. Today, I have a pillbox.
In fact, the way things are going, I fear I’ll soon be declared a superfund site by the Environmental Protection Agency. A seemingly endless stream of chemicals pours into my body, most notably during my every-three-week chemo and immunotherapy sessions. What about the rest of the time? Depending on the day, I might down three or four pills in the morning and one or two in the afternoon.

MEDICARE GETS A LOT of criticism these days. Some view it as socialized medicine. Others fret over the hospital trust fund, which covers Medicare Part A and is expected to run out of money by 2036.
Meanwhile, some policymakers want to cut back on traditional Medicare and promote privatization through Medicare Advantage plans, otherwise known as Part C. That reflects the philosophy that health care costs, access and quality will be improved if we obtain health care as we do other goods,

As we enter retirement I’ve been wondering if we should change our investing choices.
Our situation is that we will have enough income from two SS accounts and three pensions to cover our expenses. None of which have cola’s attached.
Do the majority of you HD readers in retirement invest in dividend paying stocks/ETFs//funds for additional income? Or do you stay invested in the overall stock market to accumulate more and then sell it to proceed income when needed?

When I was a boy I had an uncle who researched the Quinn family history. He told a family legend about a ancestor who emigrated to Australia from Ireland – more like transported for stealing Trevelyan’s corn. 
In any case, he supposedly became extremely rich even displaying a five carat diamond ring. Ever since I heard this story I have had a recurring dream that I receive a letter from a law firm in Australia saying it has been searching for me for decades as I am the last relative of this fellow –

MY WIFE AND I purchased a 1942 bungalow when we got married in 2013. It met many of our criteria: price, location, spacious backyard, access to greenways and more. But the place also had drawbacks—including the one described below. 
The entryway to the house included a climb up seven steps to a stoop. The stoop was small, large enough for only one person to stand while opening the storm door. The only protection from the weather was an old canvas awning.

There’s a world where I can go
And tell my troubles to
In my room, in my room
The Beach Boys, 1963
Alberta and I just returned from what for me was a restorative and emotionally powerful two-week trip to New York. No, not because she got to see seven movies at the International Film Festival in the Hamptons or four shows in the city. But she took pictures of me standing in front of five of the commercial buildings my family owned some fifty years ago.

A FEW YEARS AGO, I came across an announcement for a blueberry festival in Hammonton, New Jersey. My wife is always up for doing something different, so we made our way there one summer day.
It turned out to be a great way to spend the day and learn the history of New Jersey’s blueberry industry. The industry was founded by a woman looking to expand the crops on her family’s farm around the turn of the 20th century.

I make no recommendations, no suggestions, no nothing, but ask what people conclude for themselves. Does the following make any sense under any scenario?
I used the SSA Quick Calculator and the SSA life expectancy table
Worker with Social Security average earnings of $75,000 
Starting worker only benefits at age 70: $2578 per month 
Starting worker only benefits at age 66: $1923 per month
Monthly additional benefit starting at age 70: $665
Accumulated benefits not claimed from age 66 to 70: $91,824 
Estimated value of age 66 monthly benefit if invested monthly to age 70 at 7% per year: $108,751.03
Estimated monthly income from accumulated assets using 4% rule: $362.50
Life expectancy at age 70: Male 13.69 years.

As I keep getting older, I strive mightily to at least slow down the process, alas,  all of my heroic efforts are in vain, those darn birthdays just keep on coming, like clockwork, and I have finally thrown in the towel and accept it.
However, as I age, I find myself getting increasingly annoyed at things that just waste so much time. Specifically, ads of any type, and at the top of the list are  pop up ads,

I have a decision to make over the next year or two. Money is certainly involved, but it’s not primarily a financial decision.
Currently, our daughter is living with us while she saves up money to buy her own townhouse or condo. She’s a huge lover of cats (understatement of the year). A few years ago, I noticed the jet-black feral cat that hung out across the street at our neighbors’ home was carrying a kitten around by the neck.

FOR YEARS, THERE’S been growing concern about the top-heavy nature of the U.S. market. Today, just 10 stocks account for 35% of the S&P 500’s total value. And while the largest technology stocks—dubbed the Magnificent Seven—have done exceedingly well in recent years, their extreme outperformance is making people nervous.
Observers are comparing today’s market to past periods when certain groups of stocks appeared similarly flawless. Consider the late 1990s, when companies such as General Electric dominated the market.

Hi all,
I am a new sunscriber. Would like to get your thoughts on the topic of increasing cash position vs. stay invested when the market is high. As we know, the current US market is fully / over-priced, Mr. Warren Buffett has been increasing Berkshire’s cash position and pausing major buying (in the US market). There are tendency to exit equity market (or reduce position). On the other hand, we often heard we should stay invested and not interrupt the compounding process of equities –

It’s ignoring connections and applying the reality of connections to strategic thinking.
Pretty heady stuff, eh?  Not really, just common sense or more realistically, cents. We are talking about what we say we want and the consequences of getting it. 
Corporate profits are much maligned by some people – greedy, too high and all that. Yet profits are what drive stock prices and whether they realize it or not most Americans depend on good performance in the stock market.

My wife and I are a year or two away from retirement.  We have been with a financial advisor for 2o years.  The advisor is calling all the shots.  Our retirement accounts have done very well.  We are currently paying a 1% assets under management fee.  Our advisor does not try to sell us products: he just guides the ship.  We would like to reduce the amount we are paying for financial guidance.  In general, are the flat-fee advisors a good choice for getting through the retirement years?